This is the Magnetic Coupler I am trying to design for an Rov Thruster to eliminate the need for any type of prop shaft seals. I haven't finished this yet and have only done a few simple test so far. The design seems very feasible but will take a lot of machining and time to actually build so the project is on hold for the time being.

This is my design that I have come up with so far for a Magnetic Coupler for an Rov.

The first thing I machined was the Driven Magnet.

The completed Driven Magnet

I machined up this piece and use the lathe as a test bed just to see how much torque these small magnets would have. From this test I scraped the idea of using the small ceramic magnets and I broke down and ordered so Rare Earth type magnets. I have yet to try them though.

This is a 3D rendering I did just to see how the parts looked.

Click the Image to see an Animation of how the pieces fit together

(.WMV File about 1 Meg Download)

3D rendering of the Light Pod

Another 3D rendering of the Thruster minus the nozzle.

I started to machine the parts for the light pod only because I had the stuff to do it and I wanted to try to make my own dome again. I figured I blow the dome right in the light pod housing instead of trying to make a separate jig.

This is the dome I tried to blow awhile ago it came out a little lopsided but not bad for a first try.

This is another design I am toying around with where the actual outer ring is the prop. I haven't tested it or even come up with a final design yet. These are just the preliminary plans. I might add more magnets or even more prop blades I'll see how thing work out as I go.